The Black Wings of Remnant
by gajeel-of-iron
Summary: Jaune Arc is the most recent in the line of Arc, but they weren't always known by that surname. Long ago, when Remnant was known simply as Earth, they appeared under the family name Arrancar. Watch as Jaune reawakens the power of the fourth Espada, and changes the fate of Remnant itself.
1. Chapter 1: The Awakening

**Hello all, Gajeel of Iron here, with the first chapter of my third fic. The inspiration for this one came from Hartsock The Conqueror and his fic, "The Black Winged Great Arc." I am rewriting and expanding on it with his permission, including borrowing a few lines from his version, also with his permission. So without further ado: chapter 1 of The Black Wings Of Remnant! Enjoy!**

Jaune Arc was a bit of an oddity, in the minds of everyone around him. He came to Beacon, despite not having his Aura unlocked, and having almost no sword skills whatsoever.

At the moment, he was engaged in combat with a large mace wielder, Cardin Winchester, who seemed to have no problem smashing through his defense. The screen above them in the combat arena where their fight was taking place showed that, while Cardin's Aura levels were still very high, Jaunes aura levels were nearing the red, despite him having a ridiculous amount of Aura to start with.

Not only was Cardin a massive bully, who hated Jaune for reasons no one could figure out, he was generally an all-around prick when it came to the way he treated and spoke to anyone he deemed lower than himself, which was nearly everyone. His two biggest targets were Jaune and Jaunes fellow team leader, and the youngest person to be accepted to Beacon, Ruby Rose.

Little did Cardin know, his time of judgement was fast approaching.

Charging in like a rhino, Cardin brought his mace down on Jaunes' shield, spinning it in his hand as he did so, pushing the shield out of the way, knocking Jaune to the floor a little way away. As Jaune struggled to his feet, Ruby called out to him.

"Come on, Jaune, you can do it!" she yelled, causing Cardin to stop and sneer at both of them.

"Well isn't that sweet, the cookie loving idiot cheering for the useless, pathetic idiot. What a great pair you make."

Those words were the final straw, as Jaunes mind _snapped_ and he withdrew into his mindscape.

(Jaunes mindscape)

The desert sands surrounded Jaune on all sides. In the far distance, almost unnoticeable, a silver dome rose on the black horizon. And standing before Jaune, was a figure Jaune hadn't seen in almost 7 years, since the first time his aura was unlocked, by his father. Ulquiorra Cifer, the Cuatro Espada of an army long since forgotten from history, looked slightly down at Jaune, who was steaming with rage.

"Will you just stand there and let this trash do and say what he pleases, Jaune?" Ulquiorra asked, his voice calm and level.

"No, but I can't do much about it. Which is why I have finally made up my mind." Jaune replied, thinking back to the offer the one before him had made back when he was ten. "We sealed you, my Auras guardian, because we were too afraid of what might happen if I accepted or declined your offer, but now, I accept it. I will allow you to merge with me, the two of us as one, and bring about change to the course of history." Jaunes voice, still tinged with rage, was now slightly more focused, and he looked straight at the fourth Espada with determination.

"Very well then. I grant to you the powers of the Cuatro Espada, the Espada of Emptiness, and with it, the power to change the world. You will seek out our comrades, and reunite the Espadas as their leader, this time on the side of the light." Ulquiorra reached out, touching one long finger to Jaunes forehead. Instantly, memories and techniques completely foreign to Jaune flooded his mind, and with another harsh _snap_ , he shot back to the world of the living.

(Beacon Combat Room)

It had been only a few seconds since Cardin had uttered the phrase that would bring about his downfall. Glynda Goodwitch, the combat instructor of the academy was about to call for a halt to the match, having seen Jaune freeze up and stare blankly into space, when a shadow seemed to cover his eyes and he stood, slowly and deliberately, and raise his sword and shield.

Cardin, though puzzled at his targets' sudden change in demeanor, prepared to charge him, intent on finishing the match with the next blow. What happened next stunned everyone in the room.

Jaune threw his shield to the ground, raised his foot, and stomped on it, shattering it into pieces. Then he raised his sword, Crocea Mors, and snapped it in half over his knee. Finally, he raised his hand towards Cardin and made a grasping motion, seemingly pulling a katana-like sword from thin air.

Looking up at Cardin, Jaunes eyes were no longer their previous bright blue, but a sickening green with cats-eye slit pupils. As everyone watched, Jaunes physical appearance began to change. His hair grew longer and changed from blond to a brownish black. Two tear-mark lines formed beneath his eyes, and he seemed to pale slightly over his whole body. Were it not for the armor he still wore, the assembled class would have seen a small, about 1-inch hole appear in his chest, just below the neckline of his hoodie.

When Jaune spoke, his voice sent chills throughout the occupants of the room. "Though it sickens me to raise Murcielago at trash like you, you have crossed the final line. Now drown in my despair. **Cero**."

With that statement, a ball of green aura gathered at the tip of Jaunes extended index finger, before blasting towards Cardin, completely obscuring the bully from the view of the rest of the class. When the blast disappeared after a few seconds Cardin was lying on the floor, his armor rent, his mace broken in half, and Jaune knew that were it not for the limiters in the arena and Cardins aura being nearly full, there would have been a hole going through the center of his chest. Everyone was silent as they stared at Cardins defeated form, until the buzzer sounded signifying that one of the combatants' aura levels had passed the threshold.

Glynda stepped forward, looking warily at Jaune, and announced, "Cardin Winchesters aura has entered the red. The winner is Jaune Arc. Team CRDL, please take your leader to the infirmary. Class dismissed." With that, she quickly left the arena, no doubt heading to Headmaster Ozpin's office to report what had just happened. Jaune was quickly joined on the arena floor by his and Rubys' teams. Rubys' partner, Weiss Schnee, was the first one to speak.

"Just what the hell was that?" she growled, her hand very obviously twitching towards her weapon.

Jaune shook his head warningly at her. "Don't even think about it, Weiss. I won't hesitate to cut down anyone who raises their blade to me. No matter who they are. As for what that was, I need to finish figuring that out myself. Suffice to say, I don't think I'll have much to fear in the future. Now if you all will excuse me, I'm going to go shower up."

Jaune walked away, only to be stopped a little way away by his partner, Pyrrha Nikos. "Jaune, are you ok? You seemed so… Different… there for a second. It was a little scary."

Jaune smiled back at Pyrrha. "Don't worry, I'm still me." He assured her. "I just didn't feel like getting pushed around anymore."

Pyrrha smiled back at him, giving a slight nod, and told him that she would wait for him in their dorm, before turning and walking away towards the dorms. As Jaune walked to the showers he focused his aura, and his appearance began to revert to what it was before he merged with Ulquiorra.

A quick shower and a change of clothes later, Jaune was returning to his dorm when Ulquiorra spoke in his mind. "Jaune, you should call your father and tell him you have accepted my powers. He should have knowledge that will be vital for you in the future, including information about your lineage as well as what to expect when you finish awakening your powers."

"I'll call him tomorrow, then." Jaune thought back. "Right now, I'm dead tired."

"Very well, but I expect that the leader of your school will want an explanation as well, so you might want to do it sooner rather than later."

"Got it." With that, Jaune arrived at his dorm to see his team waiting for him, obviously expecting an explanation as well.

Sure enough, Nora tossed a few pillows onto the floor, which was the team signal that it was time for a talk. The four of them sat in a circle on the pillows, and Jaune decided to get it over with and tackle the unasked question that was boring into him from his teammates eyes.

"I'm not entirely sure," he began, "how I got these powers. All I know is that I need to talk to my father about it. I was forbidden when I was ten from telling anyone this, but you guys are my team, and I know that I can trust you all. Pyrrha, you remember that when I came to Beacon my aura wasn't unlocked, correct?"

"Yes, I had to unlock it myself during initiation."

Jaune took a deep breath, letting it out in a heavy sigh. "The truth is, my aura was unlocked when I was ten. However, because of the powers you saw today, it was re-sealed by my father, due to the 'volatile nature' of the powers. You see, similar to the Schnee family, the Arc clan possesses a hereditary semblance, of sorts. Our auras are each watched over by a guardian, an ancestor spirit from a time long ago. Apparently, mine was too powerful for a ten-year-old. That is all I know about why I was re-sealed. My father told me he would tell me more in time, but so far, the time hadn't come. I plan to call him tomorrow and get the whole story. When I get that story, you all will be the first to know. I promise."

Seeing his teammates nod in understanding, Jaune stood up with the pillow he had been sitting on, and suggested that they all go to bed. As he lay in bed trying to get to sleep, a strange, stray thought crossed his mind, before disappearing as he drifted off to dreamland. "So, this is what it feels like to have a heart."

 **So, there you all go! I hope you enjoyed it, and if you would be so kind, please follow, favorite, and review on your way out! I look forward to seeing what you all think of my version, and go check out Hartsock's version too! See you all later, Gajeel out!**


	2. Chapter 2: A History Lesson

**Hello all, and welcome to the second chapter of The Black Wings of Remnant. Now before we begin, I want to let you know that this chapter will be mostly backstory combining the universes of Bleach and RWBY, and setting the stage for the story proper. Some parts might seem a little repetitive due to having to explain the backstory to multiple people, so if you prefer to just skim it, I don't blame ya, but I highly recommend reading the whole thing.**

 _Disclaimer: Gajeel owns nothing but the plot. Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth. I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT!_

As the sun rose the next day, Jaune was already awake and sitting out in the courtyard of Beacon Academy, waiting for his father to pick up the phone. After a few rings, Robert Arcs' face appeared on the screen of Jaunes' scroll.

"Son, good to hear from you. Your mother has been very worried. How are you, and how is Beacon?"

"I'm good, but there's something we need to talk about."

His father's face took on a stern look. "Are you in trouble already, Jaune?"

"No, dad, I'm not. But I have a question for you that is very important. It's about our family semblance chain."

Roberts' eyes got very wide before adopting a look of defeat. "Someone unlocked your aura?" he asked. At Jaunes nod, he continued, "The Arc semblance is to form a sort of contract with the spirits of the Arrancars. Long ago, the world of Remnant was known just as Earth. However, people were not able to unlock their auras, and the creatures of Grimm did not exist either. Back then, there was another world, one where people's souls went after they died, called the soul society. However, if they didn't make it to the soul society in time they would become what were called Hollows, empty spirits. They resided in the final world, Hueco Mundo. Should a Hollow become powerful enough through the consumption of other Hollows, they would eventually become known as Gillians, then Adjudchas, and finally Vasto Lordes.

"It was not too long before the collapse of the borders between the three worlds that the Arrancars came into being, at the hands of a madman whose name was later wiped from history. He began turning Adjudchas and Vasto Lordes into Arrancars, by breaking their masks and allowing them greater powers in return for their servitude. I, myself, am contracted to an Adjudcha level Arrancar, by the name of Gatenbainne Mosqueda. Back in the days of the Arrancars' reign, he temporarily held a position of leadership, known as an Espada, but was demoted due to the appearance of more powerful Arrancars.

"Back when you were ten, we sensed that you were contracted to a Vasto Lorde-level Arrancar, and a powerful one at that. While we don't know who it was, we could tell that it was too much for you to handle at the time, so we resealed your aura to protect you. But when you unlock the ability to talk to them, you must be careful. We don't know what he will want, and-"

At this Jaune interrupted his father. "I've already spoken to him, father." (Roberts' eyes got very wide again.) "He said his name is Ulquiorra Cifer, the fourth Espada." (Roberts' jaw dropped.) "He said he wants me to gather the rest of the Espadas under my command, to side with humanity against the Grimm. When I first met him, I was in combat class fighting this bully named Cardin Winchester, and he was insulting me and one of my friends. I felt like my mind snapped, and suddenly I was standing in a desert talking with Ulquiorra. I agreed to merge with him, and he gave me his powers. Then I was back fighting Cardin, and i think if I had put any more power into the blast I hit him with, it would have killed him. I-"

Now it was Roberts' turn to interrupt Jaune. "A blast? Did you say anything as you fired it?"

"Yeah, I think I said something about a… zero, I think it was?"

His father was stunned. His child was not only contracted the fourth ranked Espada, a Vasto Lorde level contract, but he had just awakened his powers and he could already fire Ceros?!

"Jaune, son, I'll be there as soon as I can. You need special training, something only another of our kind can give. But promise me this: don't let anyone you don't trust know about your powers. There is more to the story of our ancestors and the Arrancars than I let on. If your abilities become too well known, there is a chance you might be hunted down. So be very careful. I'll see you soon."

Confused, Jaune could only numbly say goodbye to his father as the other hurriedly ended the call. As he made his way back to his teams' dorm, he was plagued by many questions, like why his father had kept all of this from him for his whole life, why he would be hunted down, and why there was so much panic in his fathers' voice as he hung up. Shaking his head to clear it, he hurried back to his dorm and got changed into his school uniform. He spotted his new sword, (Murcielago, was it?) resting in its sheath against the side of his nightstand. He would need to go put it in his rocket locker soon, he thought.

"No, you don't." Ulquiorra said in his mind, startling him.

"What?" Jaune thought back.

"You can will Murcielago, your Zanpakuto, or 'Spirit Sword' to disappear, and return to you when you need it." The Espada explained. "This sword is tied to your spirit, and no one could possibly take it from you against your will. That is important, because that sword must be with you to unleash your full powers, your Resurreccion, or Released State. You already have seen some of what can happen when you have the sword with you, from your transformation the other day, where you took on some of my physical characteristics.

"But do not think yourself lucky. The training to control an Espadas' powers borders on life threatening. when, no, IF you can completely control it, you still must not waver in your resolve. Merely using these powers can be dangerous if done recklessly. Improper usage of my power may result in my spirit overwhelming and destroying yours, which would be bad for both of us, as I am unable to exist in this plane without a host."

If Jaune had been feeling happy about discovering the truth about his semblance, that definitely put a damper on his mood. But he didn't have time to dwell on it, as the schools' intercom buzzed, and Headmaster Ozpins' voice came through it. "Would Team JNPR please report to the Headmasters' office. Again, Team JNPR to the Headmasters' office."

Looking at the rest of his team, Jaune nodded and lead the way out of the dorm towards the elevator that lead to the top of Beacon Tower, where Ozpins' office was located. Jaune swiped his scroll across the ID pad outside the elevator, and the doors quickly opened and they rode it all the way to the top.

Jaune had only been here once before, when he and his father came to submit a request to allow Jaune to attend despite not having attended a combat school before. It took a lot of convincing to get him in. Despite that, Jaune was still in awe of the office, with its turning gears and very mechanical feeling. Jaune had felt at peace the first time he came here. The feeling did not carry over to this visit.

However, as if he knew what Jaune was feeling, Headmaster Ozpin wore a kind smile as he observed what many were calling one of the top two first-year teams in Beacon. As he motioned for the four students to take a seat in the chairs in front of him, he said, "Now I just want you to know that you are not in trouble, any of you. However, I do need an explanation about what happened in your combat class yesterday. Undoubtedly, Mr. Winchesters' parents will be demanding an explanation as to why their son is still unconscious more than 12 hours after what was supposed to be a simple sparring match." At this, Ozpin looked over to Jaune, as did Professor Goodwitch, who was standing behind him.

Jaune nodded to them slowly, carefully considering what he was about to say, when there was a beeping on Ozpins scroll. He glanced down at it, only to give a rare double-take as he looked at it confusedly. "Mr. Arc, doesn't your family live near the walls of Vale?" he asked.

Jaune nodded his confirmation to his headmaster, who continued: "Then why does it say your father is requesting entrance to the elevator to this office?"

Team JNPR looked surprised at this. Jaune had only called his father this morning, around 6am, and it was about 7:30 now. There was no way he could have gotten from the Arc house to Beacon in a mere hour and a half.

Jaune shrugged, but asked Ozpin to allow the person up. Sure enough, a minute later, Robert Arc strode out of the elevator, making a beeline for his son and wrapping him in a hug, which was quickly returned.

The Arc patriarch then turned to Ozpin, saying, "I think I can help explain what is going on with Jaune, but I will have to ask you for an aura vow not to spread this information without the permission of one of our family. Otherwise, we will have to severely limit the information we divulge."

Ozpin and Goodwitch were stunned at the normally polite man's aggressive demands. An Aura Vow was usually only used on top secret information in high government and military debriefings. To break such a vow could result in irreparable harm to the breaker. But before they could question why such a vow was needed, Robert continued talking.

"What I can tell you without the vow is that the Arc family predates the era of 'Remnant', back to when the world was known just as 'Earth'. Our semblances also have connections to that era, and should knowledge of this become commonplace, my family would be hunted down by the other families from that time. I refuse to expose Jaune to that danger, which is why I'm asking for your Vow of silence."

Ozpin nodded in understanding, before saying, "Very well then. When you put it like that, I understand exactly where you are coming from. I view all of my students as my children, and would never allow them to come to undue harm." At this, Ozpin flared his aura and said, "I, Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy, hereby commit to this vow: barring permission of Jaune or Robert Arc, I swear myself to silence on the topics to be discussed concerning the powers of the Arc clan. So as I say, so shall it be." With the last word, Ozpins' aura subsided to resting levels, though he seemed a little tired. Glynda quickly followed suit by giving the same oath. When they were done, Robert thanked them, before looking at Team JNPR carefully.

"I trust them." Jaune said, seeing the look in his fathers' eyes. He didn't want to force his friends to give an aura vow, since they were his team and had sworn to always have his back. Turning to his teachers, Jaune quickly gave them permission to talk with his team about the coming topics.

"OK, then." Robert turned to Ozpin. "There are three things we need to discuss. First, what all do you know about what happens to the souls of the deceased?"

Ozpin, for the second time that day, was caught off guard. Quickly recovering, he replied, "I know that they disappear from this world, despite the belief of some that they reincarnate into another living being. Beyond that, I don't know much."

Robert nodded, and began a story very similar to what he told Jaune over their scrolls earlier.

"Originally, in the previous era, there were three planes, divided by spiritual walls. There was the world of the living, Earth. There was the afterlife, the Soul Society. And there was the world of the Hollows, Hueco Mundo. However, at the Dawn of the world we know as Remnant, the walls dividing these three worlds collapsed and the worlds merged. It was a time of utter chaos as the three worlds tried to reject the others, but eventually, they settled into the world we know today.

"But just as there were different worlds, there were different types of beings, different types of souls, in each of the worlds. Humans, the living, breathing type of being, was the most predominant, and thus the other beings began to attach to the living in hopes of surviving in that way. The souls from the Soul Society, when attached to humans, granted humans the ability to use Aura, and thus protect themselves from the Creatures of Chaos that had appeared during the Collapse, which we now know as the Creatures of Grimm."

At this revelation, Ozpin and Glyndas' jaws hit the floor. For decade after decade, Humanity had wondered where the Grimm had come from, and the Arc family apparently knew all along. But the two quickly brought their attention back to Robert as he continued his story.

"The big problem was the Hollows, also known as Hollow Souls. In the time of the three worlds, souls that were unable to go to the Soul Society for any reason, such as the Soul Reapers, the protectors of pure souls and the Soul Society, not reaching them fast enough, or lingering regrets, or many such reasons, would sometimes become Hollow Souls, who knew little more than the instinct to feed on the souls of the living or recently deceased. As they fed, they would become more and more powerful, and eventually, for lack of a better way to put it, evolve into a mindless conglomeration of Souls, both Hollow and pure. These were known as the Menos.

"But sometimes, the Menos would fall under the control of a more dominant soul within themselves, and become known as Gillians, and then, as they continued to grow more powerful, they became Adjuchas, then the top tier was known as Vasto Lordes.

"Then one day, a turncoat Soul Reaper named Sousuke Aizen began using a mysterious object long since lost to history to turn the more powerful Menos into Arrancars, who he used to wage war on the Soul Society. After Aizen lost the war, the Arrancars returned to Hueco Mundo and tried to live peacefully, separate from the other worlds. Though the Soul Reapers never let the grudge they felt towards the Arrancars fade, and killed them every chance they got.

"But after the collapse, the Arrancars and Hollows tried to attach themselves to Humans to survive, just as the Soul Reapers did. While the mindless hollows failed to successfully attach, the Arrancars managed to attach to one specific family of humans, the Arc clan.

"Ever since then, when a member of the Arcs unlocks their aura, they contract themselves to the spirit of one of the Arrancars, and gain their powers. As I told Jaune earlier today, I am contracted to an Adjucha level Arrancar, Gatenbainne Mosqueda. Jaune, however, is contracted to one of the top leaders from the army raised by Aizen, the fourth most powerful of the Espadas, Ulquiorra Cifer. Each of the 10 Espadas, the leaders of the Arrancars, represented an aspect of death. Ulquiorra represented Emptiness, right, Jaune?"

Now Jaune was looking at his father curiously. How did he know so much about the Arrancar Jaune was contracted to? Nevertheless, he nodded his confirmation to his fathers' words.

"Now for the second topic, the powers the Arc clan possess. Much like those to whom a Soul Reaper bonded with, the powers we receive from our contracted Arrancar vary widely, yet there are a few that remain constant across the board. The most prominent are Sonido, Hierro, Cero and Resurreccion. Sonido, or Sound Ceremony, allows us to move at extremely fast speeds through the focusing of our aura in our feet. Hierro, or Steel Skin, increases our natural aura barriers and physical defenses exponentially, to the point we are sometimes able to stop the swing of a sword with our bare arm. A Cero, or Hollow Flash, is the blast Jaune said he used in the spar last night. Resurreccion, or Returning Blade, also known as our Released State, is when we merge with our spirit sword and gain access to powers unique to the Arrancar we are contracted to. When we activate our released state, our physical appearance changes greatly, and usually we can heal any wounds we have received prior to the point of release.

"Normally when we give this explanation to our kin, as an example, I would show my own released state, but there isn't room here, and I don't think you would like your windows blown out by the power emitted when I release. However, if you would like to follow me out to the forest later, I can give you a much better example." He looked at Ozpin for a moment, who nodded and agreed to witness the form change later.

"Excellent. Now the third topic is more of a modern history lesson. As I mentioned, there are more families besides the Arcs who hail from the time of Earth. Only five families were contracted to the Arrancars, but with the passing of time, we have become separated and lost contact with each other. However, there were 13 families contracted to the Soul Reapers as far as we could tell, one for each of the different Court Guard companies from the Soul Society. Just after the collapse, we, the Arcs were embroiled in a fierce conflict with eleventh companies' family, and they nearly destroyed us. That was when we changed our family name from Arrancar to Arc, and went into hiding along with our four sister families. Since then we have tried to show that the Arrancar families were not all bad, making ourselves pillars of the community, Huntsmen and Huntresses, Politicians, Philanthropists, and the like. Since then we have not had problems with the Soul Reaper families, but now I fear it is only a matter of time. When word of the Cero Jaune fired gets out, they will undoubtedly come for us.

"Therefore, I have a favor to ask of you." Robert stood from the chair he had been seated in and knelt before Ozpin and Goodwitch, bowing his head and placing his right fist over his heart. "Please, watch out for my son. If I were to lose him, I don't know what I would do. While I am planning to move closer to Beacon so I can train Jaune in the proper and safe usage of his Arrancar powers, I am still an active Huntsman, and am thus unable to devote all of my time to protecting him. If you will do this for me, I will be forever in your debt."

Ozpin stood slowly from his chair and walked around his desk, gently grabbing the bowing man by his arm and bringing him to his feet. "As I already told you, I view all of my students as my children." Oz said. "You are not in my debt, but I will protect him."

Jaune shifted uncomfortably in his chair, giving a small cough to get everyone's attention. "there is something Ulquiorra just reminded me to tell you guys." He said. "Once I'm trained in the use of my powers, he made me promise to reunite the Espadas as their leader and bring the fight to the Grimm. He says he feels the spirits of 7 of the last generation of Espadas being currently contracted to people across Remnant. I promised I would do that."

Ozpin thought hard about this. If he could recruit Jaune and the rest of the Espadas, they might be able to work together against Salem and her ilk. But the problem was if these Soul Reapers found out, they might cause problems for Beacon and his little group of secret warriors. After a moment of thoughtful contemplation, he asked, "How deep does the grudge these Soul Reaper families hold run. Depending on that, I might have an offer of employment and special protection for Jaune and his team."

Robert shook his head. "I don't know what the current situation is like among the Soul Reaper families. I do know that my Great Grandfather, who fought in the great war, had a run in with a person contracted with a Lieutenant-level Soul Reaper, and died as a result in the final days of the war. That's my most recent reference point."

Ozpin nodded. "Very well then. Team JNPR, you are free to go back to your classes, but please proceed with caution. Should anyone appear as if they are going to attack Jaune, or if anyone causes you trouble about what happened yesterday, let the nearest teacher know. They will report back to me. You are dismissed. Mr. Arc, I would appreciate it if you would stay and talk with me for a little while longer, about you possibly becoming a sort of teacher at Beacon."

Team JNPR stood, just as silent as they had been throughout the conversation. Robert nodded, and the two men began to talk softly as Glynda escorted Team JNPR down to their classes. In the elevator, Glynda turned slightly towards the four students, watching them out of the corner of her eye. Jaune and Pyrrha were deep in thought, each standing slightly apart from the group. Nora was leaning on Ren, whispering something in his ear with an unusually serious expression on her face. Rens' face was stoic as usual, but he was nodding along to what Nora was saying.

When they reached the bottom floor, (as far as the students knew) the five of them disembarked the elevator and headed to Professor Ports' Grimm Studies class, which had started about twenty minutes ago. When they walked in, the whole class turned towards the door, watching the arrival of Team JNPR with varying expressions. Some were watching Jaune with fear, others with curiosity, and Team RWBY was all over the map. Ruby and Yang were smiling, ruby likely out of relief that they hadn't been expelled, while Yang's smile seemed to scream that she wanted to spar with Jaune. Blake held a neutral expression, though a hint of curiosity could be seen in her eyes. Weiss was watching them all with an expression of distrust.

Once Glynda had informed Port that their tardiness was excused, the four took their seats and class resumed.

Jaune was only partially paying attention, as usual, but this time he wasn't napping. His fathers' explanation of their lineage was a lot to swallow at once. But as he sat there, he felt a pull on the back of his mind, and for the second time, found himself in the deserts of what he now knew to be Hueco Mundo, where he found Ulquiorra waiting for him. "We need to talk for a moment, Jaune."

 **I'm going to end this chapter there. I hope this chapter wasn't too boring, but I needed to put a lot of information into 1 chapter, so I wasn't too focused on how it sounded as much as the message I was conveying. Hence the long-ass monologue. Sorry about that, too. Next chapter I'm going to have the better intro for Robert Arc, Jaune's first meeting with another persons' contractee, his fathers, and I will be introducing one of the main bad guys too! Oh, and I would appreciate it if you guys could send me any OC's you think would be good for the rest of the Espadas' Contractors. (I have trouble making decent OC's, and most of the good ones go to the book I'm writing.) I will give credit for OC Character donations.**

 **Please Follow, favorite and review on your way out, it keeps the inspiration coming! Laters, Gajeel.**


	3. Chapter 3: Demonstrations

**Welcome, all, to the third chapter of The Black Wings of Remnant! Thanks so much for all the reviews, not one of them was a negative review, which makes me soooo happy! I'm glad you all enjoy this story! (Also, I'm just going to call contractors by the race they are contracted to. I.E., Jaune is an Arrancar.) But enough babble, on to the story!**

 _GAJEEL OWNS NOTHING BUT THE PLOT AND SOME OC CHARACTERS! RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth and late, great Monty Oum. Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo._

" _We need to talk for a moment, Jaune."_

Ulquiorra waved his hand, and two chairs appeared out of thin air facing each other. The fourth Espada sat and Jaune sat in the chair across from him.

"I want you to understand something, Jaune. There are powers you will gain from me that are very dangerous to use. Because of this, I want you to promise me something. I'm going to rank the level of power each ability has, and past the first level, you are to ask me for permission to use those powers."

Jaune was stunned, but understood what Ulquiorra was getting at. From what had happened in the spar with Cardin, Jaune knew that his new powers were potentially lethal to his opponents, especially if they didn't have an unlocked aura. He nodded.

"Very well, then. The first level will be the basic level powers that you can use at any time. Some are even passive abilities, like the Hierro that your father mentioned. The abilities in this first level are: Sonido, Hierro, and your Pesquisa, or Probe Circuit. Hierro you must train to improve, but once you reach a level of proficiency with it, you can generally keep it going constantly to improve your defense against surprise attacks. Sonido is a move that momentarily boosts your speed to incredible levels, much like your friend Rubys' semblance. Your Pesquisa allows you to locate people by sensing their souls, as well as gauging their aura levels.

"The second level is your aura attacks. The first of these are your Ceros, the attack you used against Cardin. It compresses your spiritual aura into a small energy ball, which is launched out as a blast. The other one is called a Bala. It is where you harden a smaller amount of spiritual aura into a disc, which is then launched at immense speeds, about 20 times faster than a Cero. While I would prefer you to ask permission to use these attacks, I won't hold it against you if you use them in an emergency without asking.

"Then there is the third and fourth levels, which each have one level of the same move, your Resurreccion. The third level is your initial release, where you merge with your sword, changing your form and gaining immense power, including some abilities you will only be able to access in your released state, which I will get into later. You MUST ask permission to use this ability.

"The fourth level, is something no other Espada has achieved. It is the second stage of your Arrancar release state. You will gain powers like you have never dreamed in this state, but not only will it endanger every living being in a large radius around you, there is a chance, due to its power, you could lose yourself in the power and become a mindless incarnation of destruction, especially since you will not train with this power due to the danger it poses to those nearby. You are not to ask to use this level, but only should I instruct you to use it will you apply this power to yourself. Do you understand?"

Jaune carefully thought about all he had been told. "I understand, Ulquiorra. But I feel that I should ask you something." At his Arrancars' nod, Jaune continued. "You said you were the Espada of Emptiness, correct? What does that mean? I mean, I want to know more about who you are."

Ulquiorra was taken aback at the thoughtfulness of his contractor. From what he had heard from other Arrancars, their contractors were only interested in their powers, not the Arrancars themselves.

"When I was a Hollow, I had no heart, but I did have a rather self-aware mindset. Because of this, I always felt as if I were empty inside, no matter what I did. It was only after I was defeated during the Arrancars' war with the soul society, and one who I had threatened showed that they were not afraid of me, but felt sorry for me, that I learned that the Heart I lacked was simply not there until I reached out to another. Now I know that the heart is not within a person, but when two people connect, a heart is born between them. When you pass, your heart lives on with the ones you are connected to. However, Soul Reapers do not destroy the souls they defeat, but purify them, and send them to the soul society. I lost my memories at that time, but when Orihime, the one who I had threatened, saw me again, I felt that heart return to me, and I remembered who I was. I did not approach her, but I did leave and return to Hueco Mundo, to attempt to live in peace, knowing that I did indeed have a heart, unlike who I was before.

"When the Spirit Walls collapsed and the worlds merged, I managed to gather many of the remaining Arrancars and Espadas and we conducted a ritual with the aid of the Arc Clan and a few others, creating a separate pocket dimension for the Arrancar race, while we contracted ourselves to those who helped us survive, as a form of payment. After that, I believe your father explained what happened that leads to today.

"Should you want to know more, you can ask again later, but I believe your teacher is almost done bragging, so you'd best return to the real world." With that, Ulquiorra snapped his fingers and Jaune found himself sitting at his desk once more, just as the bell rang signaling the end of the last class of the day.

After gathering his items together, Jaune got a message from his father that he would be demonstrating his Resurreccion once Team JNPR joined him and his headmasters after classes were finished. Quickly telling his friends, they rushed to their lockers to grab their weapons, since they were heading to the forest, then hurried to their dorm to get changed, before heading out towards the cliffs where they had had their initiation. They found Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch there talking with Robert Arc, who, now that he was in front of Team JNPR, was easier to see. He was rather tall, and had a messy shock of bright blond hair. He had clearly defined muscles, obviously from extensive training. He wore a plain grey shirt, denim slacks, black shoes and forearm guards and a chest-plate like Jaune's.

Quickly the group of 7 descended to the forest level, taking a hidden staircase. After about thirty minutes of trekking through the forest, they reached a clearing in the trees, about 50 yards across. Motioning for the rest of the group to stop, Robert announced, "I just want you all to know that this ability is extremely dangerous to those around me, who have a different aura type, so if you would, I'll ask you all to wait here while I go further out. Jaune, you're coming with me, since this is for your benefit."

"OK, dad." As they walked, Robert began to explain how the release process worked.

"When you release your Zanpakuto, you absorb the power within it to increase the powers within yourself exponentially. It usually changes your form in some way. You will see that when I release. Each Zanpakuto has a release word or phrase, which triggers its ability when said along with its name."

As they reached the middle of the clearing, Robert reached into the pouches on his hips and removed his weapons, a pair of punch daggers that were hinged to fold back onto his forearms, each equipped with a shock Dust crystal to electrify the daggers themselves. He attached them to his wrists and flicked them to their battle position. "Stand back just a little, Jaune. There will be a blast of energy when I release. **FLY IN FURY, DRAGRA!"**

As the words left his lips, a sudden azure glow surrounded the elder Arc, so intense that Jaune and the others had to look away. In that same instant, the light seemed to burst outward, causing Jaune to stumble back a few steps, and even all the way across the clearing, NPR stumbled and the headmasters of Beacon were barely able to remain where they were.

As the massive cloud of dust thrown up by the blast settled, an amazing sight was seen. Massive curved armor plates covered Roberts arms and shoulders, making him appear much larger than he really was. More plates ran down his back, ending in the form of a tail. His punch daggers no longer resembled daggers, but dragon heads covering his fists. His outfit had changed a little too, becoming plain white. A visor-like object rested on his forehead, with small pointed pieces coming down and ending just before his eyebrows.

The rest of the group approached the transformed Robert carefully, except Nora, of course, who rushed ahead before Ren could stop her and was walking in circles around Robert ooh-ing and aah-ing at his new form. Her immediate first question was: "Will Jaune get armor like this?"

Robert smiled gently at his sons' teammates' excitedness. "Every released state is unique, so his won't be too much like mine. However, his will almost certainly be quite a bit more powerful than mine, since his is from an Espada-level contract. My contract is a Privaron Espada-level, which is the tier below Espada. Back in the previous era, Privaron Espadas were former Espadas who were demoted in favor of stronger Arrancars becoming the ranked Espadas. Those who were demoted were given three-digit numerical designators, and Gatenbainne was given the number 107, since he was the seventh to be demoted. Jaunes' contractor, number 4, was the fourth strongest among the last generation of Espadas. Compared to myself, Jaune also has larger Aura Reserves, which will allow him to use bigger techniques than I can."

Now Ozpin stepped forward, and all eyes turned to him. "Mr. Arc, from what you have said both here and in my office, I have come to understand that Jaune will need specialized training to properly control his powers, something only you or one of your family can provide. Am I correct in my assumption?"

"You are." By this time, Robert had re-sealed his Zanpakuto, turning it back into its punch dagger state, while the armor had seemingly dissipated, sort of like the Grimm did when killed.

"Then I will allow either you or one of your family to come to Beacon as a 'substitute' teacher, so Jaune can be trained in the safe use of his abilities, as we discussed in my office earlier. Jaune, I will ask that you refrain from using your special abilities in Combat Class, as Mr. Winchester has only just woken up following your spar, and seemed quite shaken."

Jaune rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Yeah, I should probably go apologize to him for overdoing it. I really didn't mean to knock him out for this long."

Ozpin smiled at the young Arc. They suspected that he was being bullied by Cardin, and despite that, he planned on apologizing. This shows he has a good heart, indeed, to be able to feel bad for the person who was aggressive towards him.

"Either way," Ozpin continued. "we should be heading towards the school now, as it is starting to get dark.

(Hidden on a cliff, a little way away)

Two shadowed figures were watching the group of 7 as they made their way back towards Beacon. Slipping forward from the shadows, the first figure was seen to be a tall, muscular man in his late 30's, who wore a long coat over a sleeveless white shirt, a pair of khaki pants, with a katana on his hip.

"Well, well, well, what do you make of that, Haley? We've got an Arrancar here."

'Haley' stepped out of the shadows, revealing herself as a mid-20's woman with long wavy black hair, a black shirt and jean shorts, and a white gemstone on a gold necklace around her neck. She also had a katana on her hip.

"Well, it's something we'll have to report, but we should probably investigate first. Ryan probably won't accept a half-baked report without going on a rampage. Let's go, Jake."

With that the two jumped off the cliff and disappeared into the canopy of the thick forest below, where they disappeared without a trace, intent on trailing their target to where he was staying. However, as they got within visual range of their targets group, they noticed something was wrong. "Where's the Arrancar?" An instant later, the two of them were sent flying from their perches by powerful kicks, delivered by none other than Robert Arc, who knocked the pair right into the ground just in front of where Team JNPR, Ozpin and Goodwitch were standing. The six were still walking and had yet to realize Robert was no longer with the group when the spies landed in front of them, followed closely by Robert landing next to them.

"My apologies, but I don't appreciate it when people spy on private moments." Robert announced, returning his punch daggers to his arms, but keeping them folded back to where they laid flat against his forearms. "But let's start with introductions. My name is Robert, who are you two?"

Jake just glared at Robert, but Haley quickly decided that a diplomatic approach was in order. "I'm Haley Marss, this is my cousin Jake Marss. We were actually here before you arrived in the clearing and went to investigate what was making the intense Spiritual Aura we felt, and found you."

"Then why were you following us, Mr. and Ms. Marss?" Ozpin asked. He could tell that they were holding something back, and felt that it might be important.

Figuring out that it would be more difficult to hide anything than she expected, Haley stood, brushing off her clothes and checking her hair a little bit as she considered her response. "You're an unknown." She said very bluntly. "The leader of our clan doesn't… approve of unknowns. More accurately, he likes to fight against unknowns, because he says they give him a better challenge. So, behind his back, the rest of the family agreed that we would try to keep him under control by not coming back with vague reports. Otherwise we would have a hard time dealing with the aftermath of what he would do. The last time he found an 'unknown' he almost killed a huntsman trying to see if the guy was strong. That was a real mess to clean up. Therefor we were going to follow you and observe you, so as to ascertain your strength and make you less of an unknown, and less of a chance of you becoming a problem for us to clean up after."

At that, Team JNPR bristled a bit, but calmed at Robert's next words. "I understand that you feel it necessary to observe me, so I will say this only once. I have no desire for conflict. The only things my clan will wholeheartedly fight against are the Grimm and any who attack us first. We fight to protect, we don't fight meaninglessly or to oppress. Tell the leader of your clan that, and should he wish for more information," Robert looked to Ozpin, who nodded. "He can find me at Beacon Academy, as an Assistant Instructor."

The Marss cousins raised their eyebrows at this. Now they understood why the Headmasters of Beacon were with this group. They were hesitant to return to their clan with so little information, but knew that they probably weren't going to get any more out of the Arrancar for now. Haley inclined her head politely, then turned around and walked off, leaving Jake to follow her, though he kept looking over his shoulder suspiciously, as if expecting an attack. When none came, he leapt into the trees following his cousin, and disappeared from sight.

Robert sighed as he removed his weapons from his arms, turning to the rest of the group and suggesting that they head up towards the cliff, and Beacon, the place they would all call home for quite a while.

 **Welp, that's that for this chapter. Sorry if that seems to just cut off, but if I continued, this chapter wouldn't reach you for another week, I'm fairly certain. I am sorry I couldn't get this to you sooner, but I've been trying to plan where this story is going, and it's taking a little longer than expected.**

 **But now, some REVIEW REPLIES!**

 **billykeo95: Glad you like it!**

 **Greer123: Thanks for the encouragement!**

 **(Guest)Howler66: I can't wait to give you more!**

 **Shadow Joestar: Yes, there will be some romance scenes with JaunexPyrrha. But it'll be a while.**

 **billykeo95: Addressing your second review seperately, I have read some other fics where his father and/or family is a bunch of jerks, and somehow, Ijust can't see it being that way. so yeah, I figured I'd make it so he has a good relationship with his family.**

 **Shattering: Thank you for the critique. But he isn't just going to instantly become OP with his new powers, I plan on him training hard and working for them. If you would like to help me with my character builds, feel free to DM me. I freely admit I could use the help.**

 **Beowolf the Novelborn: I looked at your profile, yes, your stories do have similar titles, though i swear that was unintentional. or was it? lol, it was. you're a good writer, tho.**

 **foxchick1: Thanks! So, what did you think of THIS chapter?**

 **With that, I think I'll s** **ign off till next time, Gajeel out!**


	4. Chapter 4: A New Face

Jaune and Robert met up the next morning, Saturday, bright and early, for Jaunes first training session with his powers. Today they would focus on tier one powers, Sonido, Hierro and Pesquisa. First was Pesquisa.

"When using any of these abilities," Robert announced, "it's like using a muscle. When you are a young baby, you can't walk, mostly because you haven't built up the muscles for it. Now, though, you get up and walk without even thinking about it. It is the same with the Pesquisa. Now to begin, I want you to focus on sensing your own Aura. First, focus on engaging your Aura, surrounding yourself with it. Then, try to _feel_ your aura surrounding you, every bit of it. Its strength, every subtle aspect of it."

Jaune focused, slowing his breathing and focusing his mind to the very core of his being, the way Pyrrha had been teaching him ever since she had unlocked his aura back during initiation. He carefully brought forth his Aura, a bright white light surrounding his body like it always had before, only this time it was tinged with green, the color of Ulquiorra's Aura.

"Very good. Now I want you to focus on how you Aura feels to you. How do you perceive it in your mind? You might not get to the next stage today or even this week, but this is the core of your Pesquisa, as well as Hierro and Sonido. Once you have a good idea of the feel of your aura, I want you to focus your Aura to your forehead, as if your Aura were forming a third eye in the center of your forehead. This 'Aura Eye' will be the means you use for your Pesquisa to 'see' others auras."

Once he was sure Jaune understood, Robert left his son to practice while he reviewed the notes he had been given for his class he was to teach: Adaptive Combat Strategies. It was a course that had been taken off of the roster because it typically required a teacher that was well-traveled, and had fought in many different types of terrains. Since most Hunters tended to stay in one region, and get familiar with that region alone, it could be difficult to find such a teacher that wasn't an active Hunter and would be willing to deal with a bunch of kids.

Things went slowly for the next few days, with Jaune either practicing his aura control, his swordsmanship (with the help of Pyrrha), or attending his classes. Robert had had his initial class session with some of Beacon's fourth year students. While much like the regular Combat Strategies class, this one focused on ways you could use the environment, compared to teamwork-based strategies.

It was the Wednesday of the next week when Jaune finally managed to form his Aura Eye. He had gotten used to feeling his aura on that Monday, and with some pointers from Ulquiorra he had quickly gotten the hang of gathering his aura to his forehead. The hard part was projecting the eye outward so it would "open."

The next Saturday, Jaune began working on his Hierro. "Imagine your Hierro like a second skin." Robert coached. "Use the slightest bit of your Aura, and start by circulating it around your hand. Don't let it disperse, just keep it circulating. If you do it right, your Aura levels will stay steady, but your ability to take a hit will increase exponentially. The circulating aura will help to disperse the force of impacts, and will cause less Aura to be consumed for the same hit."

Jaune, who was deep in thought, looked at his father. "If all it takes is circulating our Aura, couldn't Pyrrha and the rest of my friends learn this technique? Couldn't you teach it to them as well?"

"I'm afraid not. The main reason these techniques are available to us is because they layer our Aura AND that of our Arrancar over ourselves. A single persons' Aura would not be sufficient to pull this off. Now, once you get used to circulating your Aura around your hand, only then will you spread it to your arms, then your legs, chest, and head, in that order. If you spread it too fast, you'll have the worst ache ever. Got it?"

Jaune nodded, then set to work on feeling his aura, preparing to gather it in his hand for his practice. Meanwhile Robert headed back to his office to prepare for his next lesson. As he left, he happened to bump into a certain student he had been searching for.

Cardin Winchester, upon learning he had been out for nearly 24 hours because of Jaunes' attack, had been shaken to his core. Whatever Jaune had done to him, it made him realize that he had been messing with the wrong person. Ever since then, he had been carefully avoiding Jaune, afraid of what would happen if there were no one there to prevent it.

So, when Cardin saw a man that looked like a grown-up Jaune walking towards him in the hall, he realized it was Jaunes' father and started to turn around to go the other direction, only to be stopped when Robert called him over.

As Cardin slowly made his way over to the new teacher, he prepared himself to get a detention or some other form of punishment.

But all Robert said was, "Jaune is out practicing in the courtyard, and he had been wanting to talk to you. Would you please go talk to him? He has some things to get off his chest towards you."

Nervously, Cardin nodded, and, resigning himself to his fate, made his way to the courtyard. There he saw Jaune sitting on a bench staring intently off into space. Collecting his wits and steeling his nerves, Cardin made his way over. As he got closer Jaune blinked and seemed to notice him, before looking a little nervous, almost as if _he_ were uncertain about what was to come. Then Jaune scooted over on the bench, an obvious invitation for Cardin to sit next to him.

"Your dad said you wanted to talk?" Cardin said as he sat down.

"Yeah… About what happened in Combat class last week, I'm sorry." Jaune said, causing Cardin to jolt in surprise, and stare at Jaune confusedly.

"What do you have to be sorry for?" Cardin asked. "I was the one being an ass, saying things I shouldn't have been saying."

"Yeah, but I hit you with what could have been a… lethal strike." Jaune fidgeted nervously. "At the time, the limiters in the arena were what saved your life, and that scared even me, after my initial anger went away. No matter what you did to me, if I had killed you, I never would have gotten rid of the guilt. So, I wanted to propose something to you. I want us to be friends at some point, and though I am not forgiving you for everything you did, like insulting Ruby, I'm willing to leave most of it in the past, if you'll meet me halfway and stop bullying people. What do you say?"

Cardin stared incredulously at the hand Jaune was offering to him to shake. He found it hard to believe that he wasn't getting his head smashed in, let alone being (mostly) forgiven for what he had done to Jaune. He looked away in shame, then let out a small laugh.

"You're being way too nice to a stuck-up brat like me, Jauney-boy. First you knock me off my high horse and teach me that I'm not the big, bad wolf I thought I was. Then you apologize where it should be me apologizing. On top of it all, you ask to be friends somewhere down the line. I'd say that's the best offer I've gotten in my life so far." Cardin turned back to Jaune with a small sheepish smile on his face. "I'd be honored to have a friend like you, Jaune." He reached out and took Jaunes hand in a firm handshake. "And yes, I'll do my best to stop with the bullying… Heh, I'd really rather not get put in another mini-coma from someone who is stronger than I think they are."

Jaune chuckled at that. "Yeah, who knows what people have hidden inside them. You just never know…." He trailed off, nodding slightly to himself, then he stood and started walking towards the dorms. "See you around, Cardin." Jaune waved over his shoulder as he walked away.

It was later that afternoon that Jaune got a message on his scroll. Looking at the message he was surprised to see Ozpin's name as the sender.

"Mr. Arc, could you please come to my office as soon as you get this message. There is some one here asking for you and saying it is very important that they speak to 'the recently awakened'. I have your father here as well and he has decided it is safe to meet this individual."

Jaune quickly messaged back that he was on his way, and slipped out of the Library where he had been studying, hurrying to the elevator to Ozpins' office. On the ride up in the elevator, he had a quick discussion with Ulquiorra in his head.

'So what do you think this is about?' Jaune pondered

' _It might be that the other high-levelled Arrancars are able to sense that another of us has been contracted. They would, with enough training, be able to sense about where that it occurred, and may have come looking for the source.'_

When Jaune arrived, he saw a male Faunus sitting across from Ozpin, Professor Goodwitch and his father. The large, curled black horns on his head stood out starkly against his sea blue hair, and his green eyes seemed to drill into Jaune's as he made his way to the desk. Nodding politely to the visitor, Jaune moved to stand next to his father off to the right of the desk.

"Mr. Arc, this is Cyris Cerluene ****** , he found your father in Vale and apparently recognized him in some way-" Ozpin was cut off by Cyris raising his hand, before standing and turning to Jaune to introduce himself.

"Yeah, it wasn't me who recognized him, it was my Contractor. She's always had a knack for recognizing other Contractees, be they Arrancar or Shinigami." He stepped towards Jaune, extending his hand for a shake, while carefully keeping the claws on his hand away from Jaunes' hand as they shook. "So, I have to ask… who's your contract with? I can tell it's an Espada, but I can't tell if it is one of the last generation, or a Privaron Espada. Tell me, and I'll tell you who my contractor is, deal?"

Jaune thought for a second, before holding up a finger in a '1 second' gesture, and sent a thought to Ulquiorra. 'what do you think?'

' _I think it couldn't hurt. From what has already been said, I've narrowed his contractor down to one of 2 different Espadas, both of whom were ranked Third among the last generation: Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck and Tier Hallibel. Nelliel was much more peaceful than Tier, though Tier was the rank 3 Espada among the last of the last generation, so she was likely more powerful. But either of them would be trustworthy, and I feel this man here is too.'_

Nodding internally, Jaune lowered his hand and looked at Cyris. "My Contractor's name is Ulquiorra Cifer, the fourth Espada of the last generation. And yours?"

"Ulquiorra, huh. My contractor is Tier Hallibel, the third Espada of the same generation as yours. On the way to Vale from Vacuo, Tier gave me a run-down of the history of the Espadas and what happened after their war, so I know some about Ulquiorra. Tier looks up to him, actually, because of how he gathered the remaining Arrancars under him and helped save them from destruction when the world barriers collapsed, despite her being ranked higher than Ulquiorra." Cyris nodded as he finished, and cocked his head to the side, carefully studying Jaune with his eyes. In his head, Jaune heard Ulquiorra sigh as he shook his head, saying something about Tier really taking her duty seriously.

Jaune nodded thoughtfully, but it was Robert who was the next to speak. "If you don't mind my asking, for what purpose did you come here? I can't believe simple curiosity would have brought you all the way from Vacuo. Especially considering how difficult travel is as of late."

Cyris smiled a somewhat cocky smile. "It was actually Tier who convinced me to come. She told me that she hadn't felt an awakening this strong in the last few generations, not since the Great War, at the very least." He looked to Jaune. "That's high praise, coming from her." Jaune blushed slightly at that.

Now Ozpin cleared his throat, gaining the room's attention. "Mr. Cerluene, I understand that each Espada used to have an 'aspect of death' associated with them, correct? May I ask what Ms. Hallibel, was it, represented? Above all, I wish to make sure that my students are safe, and that your abilities won't adversely affect them."

"Tier represented Sacrifice, Professor. And I assure you, the Espadas' Aspects rarely manifest through their Contracts in noticeable ways." Cyris paused, tilting his head to the side as if listening to something. "Tier says that the most common manifestation of the Aspects is the Madness aspect, as anyone could go nuts with Szayelaporro yapping away inside their head."

"I see." Ozpin said, nodding slowly. "Thank you for explaining that."

"It's no problem, Headmaster. Now, I understand that when our Contractors become bound to us, they usually have some sort of condition they set for the use of their power. Mine, for example, was to protect others whenever possible. What were the conditions for you two?" Cyris asked, gesturing to Jaune and Robert.

The two Arcs looked at each other, and shrugged. Robert went first. "Gatenbainne Mosqueda, who had the aspect of Despair, wanted me to bring hope to those who had none, so as to prevent despair. Hence why I became a huntsman."

Cyris nodded. "Sounds about right. What about you, Jaune?"

Jaune nervously shifted a little where he stood. Before he could say anything, Ulquiorra spoke in his head. Jaune listened, and thought, before saying out loud, "That would probably be better. Umm… Ulquiorra would like to speak to you all himself, and he says I can either bring you all into my mindscape or he can use me as a medium. If it's ok, I'd like to bring you all into my mindscape, because he says that would be easier on my mind, since I'm not too used to channeling his powers yet. Is that ok with everyone?" At everyone's agreement, Jaune held out his hand, and asked that they place their hands on top of his. As he then flared his Aura, everyone then felt a tug on the backs of their minds, and they were whisked away to Hueco Mundo.

 _Jaune's Mindscape_

Ulquiorra and Jaune were waiting when the others opened their eyes to see the expansive desert that was the representation of Hueco Mundo in Jaune's mind. As Ulquiorra waved his hand to create some high-backed chairs for them to sit on, Ozpin noticed something about the number of chairs he summoned. There were two extra chairs. He proceeded to ask about that, and Ulquiorra smiled.

"Since it is so rare for us to invite others into our contractees' minds, few know of this, but when one contractee enters anothers' mindscape, someone else can be invited as well." Ulquiorra then raised his voice slightly. "TIER, GATENBAINNE, GET OUT HERE, PLEASE!" As if teleporting, two figures suddenly appeared next to Robert and Cyris.

The man next to Robert was tall, maybe 200 cm, and, like Ulquiorra, wore an almost pure white outfit, only his was open in a very deep v-neck and with punch daggers almost identical to Roberts' folded back against his forearms. His most distinctive trait, though, had to be the large orange afro atop his head. The remains of his hollow mask took the form of a vizor on his forehead. This was Gatenbainne Mosqueda, Robert Arc's Contractor.

The woman next to Cyris was an olive-skinned beauty, who wore a white cut-off shirt that revealed her abdomen, as well as the Hollow hole in her lower stomach, but covered her lower face. She had long blonde hair, and aqua colored eyes. Her sword was in a wide, horizontal sheath on her upper back. Though you couldn't see her mouth due to her shirt covering it, one could tell she was smiling with her eyes as she looked at Ulquiorra. This was Tier Hallibel, Cyris Cerluene's contractor.

The two contractors politely greeted Ulquiorra, before introducing themselves all around.

"Greetings," Ulquiorra said to the assembled group. "I am Ulquiorra Cifer, and in this generation, I am Jaune's contractor. In previous generations I have been contracted to two different Arcs, but that is unimportant to what I have to say.

"I have high hopes for what we can do for remnant with the group assembled here, and others. Once, in the era of 'Earth' we were the enemies of humanity, the ones that preyed on pure souls to satiate our own hunger. But after the Aizen war, we are a peaceful race, the vast majority of whom try to help humanity to atone for our sins of the previous era.

"Cyris, you asked what my request was for Jaune in exchange for my power. It is only right that you should know, as it involves you. I asked that he attempt to assemble the Arrancars' Contractors, especially the Espadas, and unite them against the evils that threaten us all. And so," Ulquiorra stood and walked over to Cyris, before kneeling before him. "I must ask you, will you join us? You and Tier would be a great help to our attempts."

Cyris looked at Tier and they shared a look before they both looked back to Ulquiorra. Cyris grinned. "Well, since you asked so nicely, I would be more than happy to help you out. But I would like to say this:" Here he looked at Jaune. "If you ever try to force someone to do something they are not comfortable with, I will end you. I have had bad experiences with that sort of thing."

While the end of his statement raised a few eyebrows among the rest of the group, Ulquiorra and Jaune didn't even bat an eye. Jaune replied, "I would never even try to force people into uncomfortable situations. I became a huntsman to _protect_ people, not throw my power around."

"I'll hold you to that."

"Please do."

The two young men then grinned at each other, and each could already tell they were going to be good friends for a long time. But there was more to be discussed, so Ulquiorra returned to his seat and looked to Robert. "Mr. Arc," he began. "I would ask something of you as well, if you don't object. Should we find another Contractor who has not received training, would you consider training them alongside Jaune?"

"I see no problem with that." Robert nodded. Gatenbainne nodded at Robert, seemingly pleased with his response.

Ulquiorra nodded his thanks to Robert, before finally turning to Professor Ozpin. "Lastly, Headmaster, I wish to assure you that we, the Arrancars and our contractors who join us, will be more than willing to fight against the Grimm, as they are a threat to not only you, but to us as well. If you don't mind, I would also like a private word with you after this meeting, regarding sensitive information.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow, but replied, "Very well. And your assistance will be most welcome."

Ulquiorra nodded, before ejecting everyone but Ozpin from Jaune's mindscape, whereupon everyone began to go about their business. Then Ulquiorra turned to Ozpin. "Now, about Salem…"

 **A/N: CLIFFHANGER! Welp, I hope you all liked this chapter! After all, it was really hard to write, and I'll probably have to edit things here later on down the road. I hope to see you all next chapter! Till then, Gajeel out!**

 ****OC Cyris Cerluene was graciously loaned to me by Toshiro of the Eternal Dream, along with 3 other OC's. Thank you so much, Toshiro! I was so excited by your contribution that I just HAD to put one of them in this chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5: The enemy's identity

**Lateness apology in the bottom note! Gajeel owns nothing in this story! Bleach and RWBY are not mine! Also, I have had OC's submitted for: Yammy, Starrk, Barraggan, Tier, Grimmjow, and still need Nnoitorra, Zommari, Sayzaelapporro, and Aaroniero. If there are any other arrancars you would like to see represented, please PM me an OC for those and I'll try to work them in. After all, I do aim to please.**

 _Previously:_

 _Jaune's mindacape_

 _Then Ulquiorra turned to Ozpin. "Now, about Salem…"_

Ozpin's eyes grew wide. No one but those in his little group knew about the Queen of the Grimm, or so he thought.

Ulquiorra continued, undaunted by Ozpin's surprise and Jaunes' confusion. "I am given to understand that you have been waging war against her in the shadows, am I correct?"

Ozpin, having recovered from his shock, affirmed this statement with a nod, then asked: "How did you find out about her, if you don't mind me asking?"

Ulquiorra seemed to stare off into the distance for but a moment, then looked over at Ozpin and Jaune. "The Salem you know is not her first… form, for lack of a better word. She was once human, in the pre-Remnant era. Though she was human, she was very spiritually aware, and able to see and even communicate with spiritual entities that normally went unnoticed by nearly all of humanity. She was, however, a very vengeful, spiteful person, and, in a similar manner to the way we Arrancars survived, she conducted her own ritual to survive. While I am unsure of the exact details of the ritual she used, it corrupted her soul, and we believe it was then that the first Grimm were spawned, as a by-product of her ritual. Beyond that, all I really know is that she has hunted my kind, and thus our contractors, with a vengeance, even to the point of killing off one of the 5 clans who helped us survive, leaving only 4 of the Arrancar families still around.

"If you will allow us to make Beacon our base of operations, we would better be able to assist you in your fight against Salem, our mutual enemy."

Ozpin thought for a second, then seemed to have a metaphorical light bulb come on over his head.

"If it is a base you are looking for, I think I have just the thing." Ozpin said. "Underneath Beacon, there are several floors of unused rooms and such. While I would have to approve of anyone who went in there, I believe it might be just what you need.

"However, I do have a concern of my own. Team JNPR. While they are certainly towards the top of their year, I doubt they are ready for the level of combat Salem can bring to bear against any who fight her. I would rather not risk one of our top first-year teams by throwing them into a Beowulf pit before they are ready. In addition, I doubt Mr. Arc would like being separated from his team."

As Ulquiorra thought about this, Jaune, who had been listening silently the whole time, spoke up. "So, as I understand it, this… Salem… is some sort of enemy of humanity that has something to do with the Grimm? I can understand why this knowledge is kept from the public, to avoid panic, but I was wondering, how much of a threat is she, exactly? I want to know what I'm getting myself and my team into."

Ozpin answered this question. "Salem is, as close as we can understand, an absolute authority figure to the Creatures of Grimm. She can command them as one commands an army, which means that she is every bit as dangerous as any of the Grimm."

"I see. Then I would like to make a request." Jaune said. "if possible, could we have extra time for training added to our schedule? I want to make sure my team isn't left behind or thrown into water that is over their heads."

Ozpin nodded. "While I can't play favorites with my students, I can allow your team access to the special training rooms normally reserved for the upperclassmen, which is sometimes done for teams that show special promise or advanced skills. I will, however, ask you to exercise discretion about who knows that you have this access. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." He nodded. "I'll be sure to let my team know this. And headmaster? Thank you."

"Of course."

Now Ulquiorra spoke up. "Very well, then I believe we should exit Jaune's mindscape before we cause unnecessary strain on him."

 _Ozpin's office_

Ozpin opened his eyes to see he was back in his own office with Jaune and Robert next to him. Robert was looking at something on his scroll, obviously waiting for Jaune and the Headmaster to finish their conversation. The two Arcs said their goodbyes to Ozpin and headed for the elevator, where Robert turned to ask, "So did Cardin find you?"

"Yeah, he did." The younger Arc replied. "We had a short talk, things should be better now. He promised to stop bullying people, though I think that is partly because he's afraid of getting beat up again."

"Well, that's something, at least."

"Mmhm." Jaune replied, with a very distracted sound in his voice.

"What's wrong, Jaune?" Robert asked, slightly concerned.

"The conversation I had with the Headmaster …" Jaune trailed off, looking pointedly at the students in the hallway near them, then at his father, who quickly led Jaune to his office, where Jaune told him about what was being planned with regards to his Team's training and why the extra effort.

Robert nodded slowly after his son finished with his story. "It seems that you have had a daunting responsibility placed on you. Being a leader isn't something you carry only into battle. It's a badge you wear constantly. And it seems that Ozpin made the right choice to pick you as the leader of JNPR. But I won't lecture you about that for now. Instead, I'll see what all I'm allowed to do to assist your Team with what they're about to face, though I doubt it'll be much."

With that, Jaune left his father's office, heading towards his Team's dorm. When he got there, he saw that Team RWBY was also with his team and were in the middle of an argument, the main points being argued by Weiss and Pyrrha. Jaune leaned against the wall in the hallway and listened in.

"I don't know what that was, but he is dangerous!" Weiss yelled. "He almost killed Cardin!"

"He promised me that he was still himself." Pyrrha retorted. "Plus, his father explained to us about his powers, and he's receiving training with them from his father. I don't see what your problem is!"

"After that weird transformation, he threatened me! Even though up till then he's always been hitting on me, no matter how many times I tell him no. and then he threatens me. Something in him changed! He might not be the Jaune from before like he says he is!"

At that, Jaune entered the room. "I'll stop you there, Snow Angel. I'm still me." He said, as all eyes turned to him. "Like I told Pyrrha after that match, I just didn't feel like being pushed around anymore. And I only 'threatened' you because I saw your hand moving towards your weapon. You're one of the last people I'd ever want to harm. If you guys promise, and I mean you have to really, truly promise not to tell anyone what I tell you, I'll let you know about my abilities. Is that OK?"

For a few seconds the room is silent, then Ruby makes an executive decision. "I Promise we won't say anything. I'll vouch for Team RWBY." Quickly her teammates nodded their agreement.

"OK, first off, the powers I showed in the spar were not directly my Semblance, but were brought about by my semblance. The Arc family, apparently like the Schnee family, has a sort of hereditary semblance." Weiss looked very surprised at that statement. "It is the ability to contract with… spirits… from a time lost to history. My contractor is named Ulquiorra Cifer. He was once the fourth most powerful leader of the Arrancar army in that time." Jaune continued to explain about the era of Earth, the Arrancars, Soul Reapers, and Hollows. Eventually he came to explain his powers.

"The blast I used was a Cero, which basically concentrates my aura into a ball and then releases it in a direction that I choose. There are other things I can do, but I'd like to keep those to myself until I know I have control over them. Have you guys got any questions?"

There was a moment of silence while Team RWBY processed the last of what they had just been told. Then Blake spoke up.

"You said your Aura was unlocked once before, why wasn't it left unlocked? From what I've heard, re-sealing an aura can lead to major problems later in life."

"We re-sealed it because Ulquiorras' power was too great for a ten-year-old's body, and it could have caused me to burn up in the power, at least that's what my parents feared."

Next was Ruby, "You said that you introduced the headmasters to Ulquiorra, could you do the same for us?"

"I would rather wait before doing that, because it takes a toll on me to have other people in my mindscape. Eventually, I'm sure I'll be able to do that more than once a day, but for now I'd rather not. Sorry about that."

Ruby nodded understandingly. After a moment it appeared there were no more questions, so Jaune politely asked if he could have a moment alone with his team, and Team RWBY left for their dorm across the hall. After they had left, Jaune started a floor-pillow-circle, and the rest joined him in a circle on the floor.

"I need to talk to you guys about our training. Since I'm being put through a fast-track sort of thing, so that I can stand up to Soul Reapers and the like, I've asked that we all get advanced training so that I don't ever have to leave you guys behind." Pyrrha looked rather relieved at that statement.

"We are going to be given access to the upperclassmen's training rooms, so that we can have more training time, and better equipment to train with-" Nora squealed with joy at that. "BUT, we have to be discreet about who knows we have this privilege. If everyone knew, they would think we were being given special treatment, or that we were the Headmaster's favorites, or something like that."

"Of course." Ren said. "We will be careful about that. Are there any other changes we should be made aware of?"

"Not at the moment. Let's finish our studies for the day and then go check on the training rooms, eh?" Jaune grinned. (Nora was the most enthusiastic with her nodding, making Jaune worried about the health of her neck.)

After finishing their homework, which Nora seemed unusually enthusiastic about finishing, JNPR made their way to the training rooms, which they quickly looked over before heading down to supper.

As they got to the cafeteria, Jaune noticed Cyris was sitting alone at a table in the corner of the room. Pointing him out to his teammates, they quickly gathered their food and headed towards that table.

"Hey, Cyris. Mind if we join you?" Jaune asked.

"Not at all. I take it this is your team?" Cyris replied with a smile.

"Yup. I'd like you to meet Nora, Pyrrha and Ren." The girls waved while Ren inclined his head slightly in greeting. As they sat down across from Cyris, Nora immediately started in with the questions, getting out three before Ren got her under control

"So, where are you from and why are you here? Do you like pancakes? I reeeeally like your horns, what type of Faunus are you? OH, and…" then Ren put his hand over her mouth, and whispered in her ear.

Cyris looked at Jaune, and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah, she's always that hyper. Just be careful with giving her pancakes, she's kinda obsessed with them, for some reason."

"I see. Well to answer your questions, I currently live in Vacuo, and I am here" (he glanced at Jaune who nodded) "because my contractor felt Jaune awaken his powers and was impressed with the power he wields, as she felt it all the way in Vacuo. I like pancakes, though I don't eat them _too_ often. As for my horns, I'm a Dragon Faunus, with horns and claws."

All of JNPR was surprised at that last fact, as Legendary type Fauni were very rare. From there the five of them continued on into casual conversation, getting to know one another better.

"So, Cyris," Ren began, "I was wondering, if it's not too much to ask, you said you are from Vacuo? What do you do there? What is your occupation?"

Cyris smiled at that. "I work as a security guard for a large building, and in my off time teach kids self-defense classes. I also do some huntsman missions on the side."

"That's very interesting." Pyrrha replied. "What academy did you train in?"

"Well, that's a bit of a touchy subject with me, but I don't see the harm, so I'll answer it. I didn't train at _any_ academy. I was actually born in Menagerie, where my parents were part of the Peaceful White Fang, as was I in my childhood. But later on, after my mom died, at the hands of a racist, my dad practically forced me into training. Eventually, after the Old Man stepped down, and Sienna Khan took over the Fang, I was already on the verge of quitting, but it wasn't until my other squad members, but not me, committed an especially… nasty… hate crime towards humans, that I quit. I won't say much more on that, just that the Fang hates me, now, too, for the way I quit. But, yeah, that's where I did my training, under my dad and the WF."

Even the stoic Ren was surprised at that, and it showed on all of JNPR's faces. It was around this time that Team RWBY came in to the cafeteria, and out of habit, headed over to sit with JNPR. Cyris saw them coming, and his eyes immediately locked on to Blake's, and both their eyes got WIDE.

"CYRIS!?" Blake exclaimed, momentarily forgetting where they were.

"Blake Belladonna. I haven't seen you in forever! How are you?" Cyris replied, albeit in a much calmer manner, though still obviously surprised.

At that, Blake seemed to realize that her outburst had drawn the attention of about half the cafeteria, so she quickly asked to borrow Cyris for a minute, and the two of them stepped off to one side and had a quiet discussion, while Ruby, Weiss and Yang sat down at the table, a little offset from JNPR due to Cyris already having taken a spot right across from them.

When the two got back to the rest of the group, Yang, who was curious as always, asked what that was all about.

"We're old friends from a long time ago. But that's a private matter, if you don't mind."

Seeing as the two weren't going to say any more on that subject, Ruby, of course, had a question for Cyris.

"So, what kind of weapon do you use?" she asked excitedly, as always. As in, she was bouncing in her seat at this point, which drew an irritated sigh from Weiss.

"Heh, I use a trident that splits into two athames, a type of dagger. What do you use?"

Cyris immediately knew that he had made a mistake as all of Team RWBY (minus Ruby, of course) groaned, and Ruby immediately began to go on and on about her precious Crescent Rose, which slightly unnerved Cyris, since he could only see a weapon in that light if it was an arrancar's weapon, which they could actually communicate with.

When Ruby stopped to breathe ( _2 minutes later… HOW?_ ) Weiss clamped a hand over her mouth. "Yeah, the dolt's a weapon nut. So, we don't ask questions about weapons much anymore unless we're in shop class, and need help with something."

Cyris laughed as Ruby squirmed out of Weiss's grip and pouted at her partner, who just gives her a look that practically screams "well, tell me I'm wrong…" and turns to shrug at the newcomer to the group, who just laughed a bit harder.

After that, the group devolved into casual chit chat, though for some reason Blake seemed to be a little tense.

 **A/N: ok, yeah, I'm so sorry about this chapter being soooo late, but if I were to rush it, it'd turn out a dud. I hope to get the next chapter out quite a bit faster, but with the job I just started being full time, I don't have much time to write. I hope you all understand.**


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